Hang ‘Em Out To Dry – Frugal Challenge
If you’ve been watching some of the headlines these days you’d think a war had been declared on clotheslines. And, you may be right. In many parts of the world, especially where there are homeowner associations, laundry left billowing in the breeze could send you to the courts.
Granted, no one wants to gaze upon tightie-whities or bloomers flappin’ in the wind right out in plain view, but a discretely placed clothesline with discretely placed undergarments should not be causing the sort of alarm that is apparently being raised. We all know how to pin up our unmentionables behind our lovely sheets and towels. If we can all follow certain clothesline protocol, then what’s the problem?
The problem is that some folks agree to association rules and then, when the power bill gets ridiculous and the planet needs saving, decide they want to do something to help. So, what are frugally and environmentally minded folks supposed to do?
There are a few alternatives to stringing a clothesline between two trees in your front yard or installing full-out clothesline poles. For instance, a portable clothesline may work. An inexpensive folding clothes rack can suffice for drying at least some of your laundry. Another option may be a retractable clothesline that you attach to the side of your garage or house, pull out to hang the clothes, then retract when not in use.
Hanging your clothing inside on hangers may be an option. If your air conditioner or your heat is running you actually have a pretty good little drying system inside already.
A simple option is to buy an inexpensive tension rod, the kind that you would hang a curtain on, and position it in a door frame where you have good air flow between rooms. Hang some items there and you’ll be surprised how fast they dry. Remove the rod and put it away for the next load of laundry.
Another option is a small retractable clothesline attached above the door frame in the bathroom and run across to the tub.
My challenge for you today is to find an area outside of your house, apartment, or condo to hang a few clothes. If you can’t possibly find a spot, set up drying areas inside your house to accommodate at least a few items every washday. You’ll be thrilled when you find your clothes dry and it didn’t cost you one extra penny.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Oh, don’t get me started about HOAs and laundry lines. We live in a middle class neighborhood here in London and everyone (everyone) hangs out their laundry. Our houses are brownstones too, so I can see what every neighbor in our block has hung out to dry when I look out the kitchen window. Big deal. Most of us wear underthings, so obviously we have to wash them. Truth be told, when everyone line dries their laundry, no one is interested in what anyone hangs out, but more whether or not someone else thinks the rain is going to hold off long enough to dry something outside. Most houses here don’t even have driers, and it is that way all across Europe.
Anyway, some houses here also have a drying rack that hangs over the tub. We have a metal collapsable rack that serves our five-person household just fine, without a dryer. happy line drying!
July 20th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I have a clothesline in my laundry room that is mounted on one wall, connects to a hook across the room, and then comes back to the original wall a few feet away from where it started (in a V-shape). I wash and hang one load every evening, and it’s dry by the next evening. This works well for me, I never have to worry about the weather, and I don’t heat up the house in the summer by using the dryer. If I really want them to dry in a hurry, I have a ceiling fan in the laundry room that I’ll use to move the air. When I want the laundry room to look nice or company is coming, I just wind up the clothesline and hide it away in a drawer.
July 20th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Our dryer broke down a little over a year ago and we’ve been line drying ever since then (outside in the summer and inside during the winter and colder months) Aside from saving a lot of money on electricity and fabric softner dryer sheets (nothing beats the smell of clothes line dried clothes
July 20th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I hang mine out front between three trees and dare anyone to say something. If they would, I would just tell them to get a life
July 20th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I am amazed in the your neck of the woods , that there are so many restrictions. Down under here in Australia, it is commonplace for clothes to be hung outside on a line. In Fact, the famous rotary clothes line otherwise ubiquitously known as the hills hoist is in nearly every backyard. We rarely use the dryer (even during winter albiet our winters are much milder than in the States).. Even then i have a small version (collapsible) which we put in our spare room and dry the clothes that way. Dryers are only used for emergencies in our household. I am sure we save a ton in electricity!!!
July 20th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Some of my fondest memories w/ my nana and cousins include helping to hang the clothes out on the line to dry-and running through the sheets (even though i wasnt supposed to) ; )
July 21st, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Yes, it seems as if the clothesline debate is raging on and being hotly argued around the world. Thank you for keeping the discussion alive. Let’s hope our “billowing bloomers” become an increasingly familiar sight!
July 21st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
line drying laundry should be the cool thing to do, really.
Just like driving a car that uses less gasoline, heating with environmentally friendly, renewable and cheaper sources and recycling. Germans are big on all of that!
A great way to dry clothes in winter is to hang them above a radiator or right on the radiators. We have heating systems that let hot water go through metal radiators. If you hang your clothes on them, they are dry within a couple of hours, at the most, and if you want to soften them a little, you can pop them in the dryer when they are almost dry and give them a 10 minute tumble.
Same with line dried diapers and towels.
I love the smell of laundry dried outside on a sunny day.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:49 pm
My elderly neighbor and I were having a discussion the other day about we were the only two people in our area that still hang our clothes. We do it because we always have and we enjoy the savings from not using dryers. I have three lines and use the back one to hang up unmentionables; but during the summer months, the lines are always full and I don’t really care if it offends anyone. I figure when someone else starts paying my utility bills, they can have a say in the matter.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 am
Yes, our household has started drying clothes on a rack in our backyard. The rack isn’t big enough to dry large loads or ever load, but we’ve seen a significant savings on our utility bills.
Honestly, I’m convinced HOA’s are evil!
July 27th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I have always hung my laundry outside. I only use my dryer in January and February because I live in Massachusetts. Even then, there are days that I will hang my laundry out in the winter if it is a nice sunny day. It just takes longer to dry in the winter. If my dryer did not work, I would not need to run out and buy it as an emergency even in the winter. This also will save me money in the long run. Those “emergency” purcases are just not really emergencies. I really don’t hang the clothes out because of money. I have always used the line because it has less wear and tear on my clothes, stains don’t set like in the dryer and it is better for the environment. I don’t think I could ever live in an area that prohibits things like a clothesline.
August 1st, 2009 at 3:26 am
We live in Portland Oregon and when my husband put up our clothesline, it was such a happy moment for me. I couldn’t wait to use it.
I don’t know if anyone on my street uses clotheslines. Our is under a covered side porch and you can definitely see it if you are passing by our house.
As was said before, if there needed to be certain protocols, then just put your underclothing between larger items. No one would be the wiser. However, I think some reasonableness needs to considered because it’s just clothing. Get over it, move on to more important things.
We have many, many days of rain here during the winter but since the porch is covered, I still put things out on the line because they do dry, it just takes longer.
We do still have our dryer but it is unplugged and at the one year mark, we will seriously consider getting rid of it. What a good way to Freecycle something that is totally in good shape.
It is so relaxing to line dry your clothes. Super cheap therapy.
September 5th, 2009 at 11:20 am
If the neighbors are a little freaked out by a clothesline (a permanent addition to the yard) perhaps they could be gently conditioned to the idea by seeing a nice portable laundry drying rack being used on the patio or deck during the warm months?
Then after awhile of getting used to the concept they would be OK with the clothesline and neighborhood peace would be maintained…